A confident and bold album... [but] it unfortunately expends so much energy being spooky and otherworldly that most of the anticipated enchanting beauty is nowhere to be found. [Sep 2005, p.156]

There are a kit if sounds present, but the band manage to make them come together as one. [Jun 2011, p.106]

As with prior releaes, Woodruff's lyrics can be hokey, but his Midwestern earnestness makes it easy to let it slide. [Sep 2008, p.158]

Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder sees the Brits at thie operatic best and completely unafraid to fill their songs with orchestral keyboards. [Dec 208, p.142]

Without the extra bells and whisteles--which alwways saved the weakest Faint songs in the past--most of Faciinatiion is largely dispoable. [Sep 2008, p.160]

South are at their most compelling when they apply the aesthetics and methodology of dance music to their epic rock music. [Mar 2002, p.88]

In one word: lackluster. In two words: dead boring. [Aug 2001, p.90]

Arguably anything Morello releases is worth listening to and The Fabled City, while not perfect, is no different. [Oct 2006, p.153]

In short, Augustana is every Top 40 radio programmer or licensing supervisor's dream disc. [May 2011, p.92]

Dangerkids mix modern elements of electronica and metalcore into rap-rock, which at first seems a bit disjointed and weird, but soon settles into a comfortable roar that hits all the sweet spots in the metal/hardcore/emo realm.

Dumb Luck is likely to appeal more to the indie-rock crowd than electronica purists. [Jun 2007, p.161]

This EP might be a surprise to some, but it is in keeping with the puckish spirit that has underpinned the quintet's nearly 35 years together.

Tricky without edges and paranoia is freakin' dull. [Sep 2003, p.118]

Vapor Transmissions is a hymnal for brave new citizens who have adopted The Matrix as a religion while using artifice as deception for their sinister subtexts. [#146, p.81]

A decidedly hit-or-miss affair. [Nov 2004, p.148]

The Offspring once again demonstrate this knack for incorporating flavor-of-the-month flourishes into their sound in tongue-in-cheek fashion.... These embellishments aside, the Offspring hone in on the dyed-in-the-wool cheetah-paced punk that is their true bread and butter. [Jan 2001, p.81]

However modern our world, Fischerspooner continues to give us a reason to listen. [Jun 2009, p.111]

The reason Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down works here other "buzz band" albums don't is because theirs just feels natural--NATW aren't trying to buy into any trend. They're just writing great music. [Sep 2008, p.151]

Nothing on Sixes & Sevens quite lives up to the giddy brillance of the "Juno" soundtrack, but the music will still inspire you to draw hearts around your crush's name in your fifth-period notebook. [May 2008, p.134]

The army of noise behind his bitterness is at once massive and impressive. [Jul 2003, p.117]

A set track list and a few new tunes....[creates] a more well-rounded picture of the band than last year's smorgasbord. [Apr 2012, p.92]

The record succeeds as its own body of work sans premise, thanks to Valdés' deft keyboards and arrangements (which gives the proceedings hues of '50s hits, '60s soul and breezy Euro-pop) and Argos' patented sincere-or-smarmy delivery (the thing that makes Art Brut so compelling).

Everyone involved seems to simply be shrugging along in an almost cynical fashion, figuring people will buy it no matter what they do.

It's uncomplicated, catchy fun, the equivalent of 21st-century hair metal-and that's meant as a compliment.

Dusk And Summer is proof that Carrabba's ability to drop hugely emotive choruses into three-minute pop songs has become its own form of classic American songwriting. [Aug 2006, p.199]

It's probably the most honest collection yet. [Oct 2011, p.109]

An admirable effort, yet this feels like Gang Of Four taking six steps backwards into obscurity. [Mar 2015, p.93]

The wicked dueling guitars of Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel are about the only saving grace, but even the wildest arpeggio run can't save Congregation from near-total damnation. [Dec 2009, p.116]

Despite being almost numbingly consistent at times, it's his most self-indulgent Catholics album, and it could easily become a favorite of Black's long-time fans. [Oct 2002, p.77]

Granted, the Offspring have always dabbled in lyrical goofiness, but on Splinter, this approach seeps into the music as well. [Jan 2004, p.93]

Arguably their best effort since jumping to the majors... Golden Lies hums with chunky metal chords, suspicious scents of Beatlesque psychedelia and wah-pedal freakiness. [12/2000, p.102]

While longtime fans might chide the group for losing some of their quirkiness and streamlining their sound, the band's desire to push the boundaries should be commended. [Mar 2012, p.91]

A bit flat. [Jan 2007, p.131]

What could have been a second coming of Stone Roses or even a newer New Order comes off like one big Spiritualized remix, light on the hooks, numbed by its own beats. [Apr 2002, p.82]

Wrap Cracknell's voice around a sweet, soulful confection and she remains the embodiment of all modern pop dreams and desires. [Dec 2000, p.94]

In the end, this dark, penetrating album is a transitional record and should be viewed as such. [Dec 2007, p.172]

The mood, talent, and energy are present, but the lack of lyrics is off-putting and relegates the band's seventh proper LP to B-team status. [Feb 2009, p.103]

Underneath The Owl is unquestionably the best album of the Gamblers' career thus far. [Apr 2009, p.132]

An ambitious effort with story-shape influenced by the band's history while moving forward with increased sophistication and nuance. [Jun 2016, p.102]

That's why artists like RJD2 are important: They're brave, they're risk takers, and modern music needs more of them. [Apr 2007, p.192]

Despite plenty of subtle charm and wistfulness, the band's implicit pursuit of warmth occasionally veers off course to flirt with surprising sterility. [Feb 2007, p.115]

It feels like the afterthought it most likely was. [Oct 2002, p.77]

Their most accomplished and least anxious record yet. [Nov 2006, p.182]

The Green Album is a sweet and largely sincere recasting of songs from The Muppet Show and several of its cinematic spinoffs.

The Postelles flash moments of this talent, but often come off as a pedestrian version of a banal sound.

While the positive vibe is admirable, there's just not much substantial to grab on to--and few songs linger after the album's over.

Most of Maritime's debut feels incredibly boxed in. [Aug 2004, p.106]

A novel idea that falls flat due to poor execution. [Dec 2004, p.162]

Clogging their previously supple grooves with banal guitar bluster and noxious singing, VHS Or Beta don't set the Night On Fire; they just dampen your spirits. [Oct 2004, p.148]

The vocals are almost hilariously monotone, the lyrics loaded with crass, elementary rhymes, and the instrumentation is simply dreadful. [Jul 2014, p.98]

With a handful of vibrant songs that match either a late-night lounge vibe, or elevate their retro-country game, the album's only major flaw is forcing too many drastic costume changes on their angelic voices. [Mar 2010, p.98]

They haven't lost any of their quirky cool mojo. [Nov 2001, p.97]

Uninspired goofiness... [#154, p.98]

Bianchi's hackneyed lyrics... often overshadow the music's subtle pleasures. [Oct 2005, p.170]

The lyrics on Folker make the tripe in Westerberg's early solo material... read like T.S. Eliot. [Oct 2004, p.144]

FYS are still trying to figure out just who they are and who they want to be musically, and ISWSOF accurately represents that struggle.

Orchestral additions are cool, but here they dominate both in terms of volume and notes-per-minute, transforming potentially aristocratic black metal like "The Cult Of Venus Aversa" and "War" into poorly layered sonic slop. [Dec 2100, p.111]

Temper Temper probably sounds great played in an arena. But on the stereo, it just isn't enough. [Mar 2013, p.90]

Taken individually, Ritual's songs can meander too much; as a whole, however, the album is a success. [Feb 2011, p.90]

The other songs beg for remixes, guest vocalists or anything to give them more depth. [Nov 2012, p.92]

Album, boring. [Dec 2004, p.150]

This Means War exhibits admirable growth.

Farrell's silvery adenoidal baritone scissors through bass-heavy raggamuffin beats, dreamy swells of keyboard-fueled atmosphere and ticklish breakbeats -- and the slapdash aesthetic somehow coheres. [Aug 2001, p.79]

Unfortunately, as with many Verve albums, Bar's dreamy tempos and strung-out riffs, while fragile and beautiful, start to fade into a middling mess of sameness around the middle of the disc. [March 2003, p.98]

Taken alone, these six tracks are fascinating enough from a conceptual standpoint, and listening to a band audibly restraining themselves is quite scintillating. But it's hard to shake the feeling that these pieces would likely have a significantly greater impact when connected with the entire Testimony performance.

Like a football running back, it's when the band put their heads down and sprint straight ahead that they score. [mar 2009, p.113]

The hooks aren't quite as memorable as last time, and Elvis Baskette's production at times make the band sound like faceless radio rock--but the disc ultimately might soon find TFT making good on their arena-rock aspirations. [Jul 2011, p.112]

The majority of the album sounds like generic radio rock. [Jul 2012, p.98]

Trinity is almost perversely uninvolving on first listen. [Sep 2002, p.90]

[Travis Morrison's] earworm melodies and piquant lyrical outlook are Uncanney's only source of nutrients. The rest are empty calories. [Nov 2013, p.94]

Not everything hits the mark, but there's enough to delight in and offer plenty of hope for the Chiefs' future. [May 2014, p.93]

Poison excels at using retro flourishes without drowning in nostalgia or irony, and it never forgets the future is brightest. [Jan 2009, p.130]

Decas is not exactly coherent listening experience. Still, it's a worthy addition to the band's weighty catalog. [Dec 2011, p.118]

It may be one of the least "punk" albums a pop-punk band will make this year--but it's probably one of the best, too. [Feb 2006, p.113]

The hue of the proceedings feels significantly dialed-down and stark and the result feels more like a Jollett solo album and less like a great band flexing its myriad abilities. [May 2011, p.92]

Beta Love feels too much like the band's token electronic record. [Feb 2013, p.92]

It's the band--and Sturgis--who make Slave To The Game the most impressive album to date from the most underrated band in deathcore. [May 2012, p.72]

While electronic music fans are not always a lyrics-first bunch, the sentiments here will probably sound better shouted at Glastonbury or Coachella than examined via earbuds.

Welcome back ladies. The world's more fun with you in it. [Nov 2009, p.114]

Some of the most engaging music of his career. [Aug 2005, p.172]

La Liberacion's digi-pop breakdowns, reggae-tinged zaps and punky power-pop will please anyone who wrote the band off after 2008's too-glosy Donkey. [Sep 2011, p.112]

Overall, Keane's efforts to move beyond pigeonholing succeed more than they fail. [Jun 2010, p.107]

Thanks to nuanced production by Flood and a dizzying array of synthesizer textures, In This Light & On This Evening is a resounding step forward for the British band. [Feb 2009, p.93]

It feels a lot longer than it is, and that's a bad thing. [May 2009, p.115]

That rare double album with enough life in it to deserve that much real estate. [Aug 2006, p.208]

The moments of stylistic diversity, as well as the lack of trendhopping (read: no dubstep) makes the continued evolution of Blaqk Audio worth following.

The tunes are instantly likeable.... What's missing are the immediate hooks that today's competitors from Katy Perry to Marina And The Diamonds, use to claim Madonna's now-vacant throne. [Jul 2014, p.98]

The best songs are, as usual, the weirder ones... Elsewhere, Balls spends too much time riding the same quirky-dance autopilot that has fascinated Sparks since the late '70s. [Jan. 2001, p.102]

At best, Dead Media delivers tuneful, hilarious, pathetic tales of lost schoolboy love. [Mar 2002, p.81]

A diverse collection that often has a life force all its own. [Jun 2007, p.150]

The gloriously retro You Have No Idea is what the last Rapture album should of been [May 2008, p.146]

Other old rockers sound old. Iggy sounds brutal, harsher than last time, louder than ever, a pummeling self-production pocked with magnificent metal dumbness... [Sep 2001, p.88]

As full of empty bluster as its title. [Mar 2004, p.110]

Overlook has its moments. [Sep 2011, p.120]

Because their energy matches their vision, they've managed to make the best record of their career thus far. [Jun 2007, p.148]

The technical skill of BFMV has never been in question, even if there's an ultra-safe formula still being adhered to. Venom is no different, offering up more thrash than ever on one of the most solid offerings in the Bullet catalog. [Sep 2015, p.100]

If Euphoric has a weak spot, it's that Glasvegas' desperation can become overwrought. [May 2011, p.93]

God is an album perfect for daytime iPod consumption--and suitable for keeping the party bumping well after midnight. [Apr 2009, p.142]